Saturday's preliminary World Cup qualifying draw has left the US Men's National Team facing a June home-and home against the winner of an early 2008 tie between Barbados and Dominica.

Should they dispose of their first round opponent, the 'Nats could be in for a semifinal round robin group that includes Cuba, Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago - but coach Bob Bradley says first things first.

"Certainly, we know that Barbados would be the favorite to advance (from the play-in round)," he told ussoccer.com.

"We know Barbados from having played against them twice in the semifinal round of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup (US wins of 7-0 and 4-0). They are a team that typically is physically talented and are starting to have more players competing overseas."

US skipper Carlos Bocanegra claims the squad are starting to catch World Cup qualifying fever now that the initial draw is known.

"We're pretty excited to get the process started," he declared. "Now, it becomes real. We've been playing in good competitions over the last year, but starting next year is when it really counts."